Ottawa, Ontario – Dr. Amit Chakma, Chair of the U15 released the following statement today.
On behalf of the U15 and its member institutions, I am delighted to extend our warmest congratulations to Alice Munro (LLD’76, Western University) on winning the 2013 Nobel Prize for Literature. Ms. Munro is the first Canadian woman to earn this prestigious honour since its inception in 1901. Beloved by readers around the world for her striking portraits of life in small-town Ontario, we take tremendous pride in Alice and her achievements. Her honour symbolizes the creative intelligence and humanity of all Canadians, and highlights the vital importance of investing in liberal arts education. Great books come from great minds, and great minds are cultivated in the institutions of higher learning where our future leaders and Nobel Prize winners can stretch their imaginations and develop their talents. As President of Western University, which was honoured to have Ms. Munro as a student and writer-in-residence, I am doubly pleased to express my best wishes to Canada’s own “master of the contemporary short story.”